How to promote your business on a low budget

Omar Muhammad, Omar Muhammad is the executive director of the Morgan State University Entrepreneurial Development and Assistance Center. He can be reached at omar@improveandprogress.com.
Oct 25, 2013, 6:00am EDT Updated: Oct 31, 2013, 9:14pm EDT

I am looking for ways to promote by business on a low cost budget. Do you have any experience with public relations?

Let’s catch everyone up. According to the Small Business Encyclopedia, public relations (PR) is using the news or business media to carry positive stories about your company or your products. You are probably doing this now with social media and word of mouth. Let’s look at some other strategies to incorporate into your PR plan.

• Determine why you are seeking PR (more business, introduction to a new product, a cause that your company is supporting). What’s your company’s message?

• Look at creating impactful press releases for your message. Not familiar with how to craft a press release, search online or visit a company like www.prurgent.com.

• Along with press releases and social media, services like Help A Reporter Out can help generate buzz about your message.

• Call several newspapers and stations (television/radio) to ask for the process to submit a story. Try not to sell the reporter, but share how your product or service is helping people with a particular problem.

• Consider reaching out to bloggers that focus on your industry. A company like blogfriendlypr.com can help connect your brand to bloggers.

Be sure to write down your PR strategy and monitor the progress to see if you are on target to creating a successful message for your company.